


Being Human

by ZoisiteMoon



Series: Eyes on Me [7]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abortion, Alternate Universe - Human, Armchair Therapy, Aromantic Asexual Garnet (Steven Universe), Aromantic Asexual White Diamond, Aromantic Peridot (Steven Universe), Autistic Alexandrite (Steven Universe), Autistic Character, Autistic Peridot (Steven Universe), Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Christmas, Christmas Dinner, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Attempted Suicide, Implied/Referenced Mental Breakdown, Interfaith, Mental Health Issues, Nonbinary Character, Post-Steven Universe Future, Rape, Slice of Life, Teen Pregnancy, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner, Trans Bismuth (Steven Universe), Trans Female Character, Trans Jasper (Steven Universe), Trans Ruby (Steven Universe), Transmasculine Character, Transmasculine Malachite (Steven Universe), halloween party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26248582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoisiteMoon/pseuds/ZoisiteMoon
Summary: [Takes place post-Steven Universe Future] After several tumultuous days of grappling with mental health problems, it's time for Steven to seek out therapy from a man who comes from a different world than him. Are they really that different from one another, though?
Relationships: Bismuth/Pearl (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Doug Maheswaran/Priyanka Maheswaran, Lars Barriga/Emerald, Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe), Sadie Miller/Shep
Series: Eyes on Me [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1451692
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clear up any confusion before it happens, here are some names given for some of the characters:
> 
> White Diamond= Whitney Diamond  
> Yellow Diamond= Golda "Goldie" Diamond  
> Blue Diamond= Maya Diamond  
> Bismuth= Belinda  
> Spinel= Spinel Reynolds  
> Lapis Lazuli= Nyoko Goshima

Steven was going to meet with his therapist for the first time today. The therapist himself had seemed promising enough. His name was Ulysses Scheele, and he'd graduated from the West Virginia University with a Master's degree in psychology. He was living in Morgantown with a wife and three children. All seemed to go well for the man, really.

Steven wasn’t sure the same could be said for him. After all, he’d recently had a mental breakdown that culminated in him attempting suicide. The last words he remembered saying before trying to take his own life were, “I’m a monster...” He ended up spending some time in the hospital with his father Greg, his grandmother Whitney, his aunts Goldie and Maya, his cousin Spinel, his girlfriend Connie, his first cousin Sapphire, Sapphire’s wife Ruby, their daughter Garnet, Amy, Pearl, Belinda, Jasper, Peri, and Nyoko all by his side. While he was still recovering from the physical trauma to this day, he’d yet to fully recover from the psychological trauma. That's where the therapist would come in and hopefully help to fix everything. He'd have to, right?

Steven sat out in the waiting room outside Mr. Scheele's office. He was nervous how the therapist would take him. He didn't want Mr. Scheele to judge him for what he did, but he also didn't want to stonewall him if things got too uncomfortable. Then again, old habits died hard. Suddenly, someone opened the door. Steven turned to see that it was Mr. Scheele.

"Mr. Universe?" Mr. Scheele called out to the sixteen-year-old boy.

"Yep, that's me," Steven replied.

"I'm ready to see you now."

"Thank you, sir."

Steven got up from his chair without saying another word and followed Mr. Scheele into his office. Almost immediately, the boy and his therapist took to shaking hands.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're Steven Universe, right?" Mr. Scheele asked amusingly.

"Yep, that's me," Steven replied with a little smile. "And you're Ulysses Scheele, aren't you?"

"That's right. So what brings you here?"

Steven proceeded to tell the whole story about how it all came to this: watching his mother figures almost die right in front of him, Jasper kidnapping him and his family, witnessing his friend Lars overdosing and then going into cardiac arrest, finding out his mother was the same woman who faked her own suicide in 2006, his grandmother trying to kill him in a fit of rage, his cousin Spinel trying to kill him after everything she went through, experiencing an identity crisis, developing anxiety over possibly losing the people he loved, the mental breakdown, and lastly the suicide attempt.

"Um... wow," Mr. Scheele could only say. "That... is a lot to unpack. I can see now why you came here."

Steven laughed nervously. "Yeah, no kidding. Sometimes, it felt like there was some divine force out there that was pushing all these terrible things on me. You ever feel like that, Mr. Scheele?"

"I... well, I suppose so. I guess there might be a higher power somewhere that decides what happens or what doesn't happen, but we can save that discussion for another time. Right now, we're focusing on you. The thing I got from you is that you invested so much time helping others that you constantly put yourself on the back burner. It was because you never prioritized yourself above all others that your mental health suffered for it."

"Yeah, that's about the size of it. Given everything I described to you, I think I might also have PTSD."

Mr. Scheele nodded his head as if to show he understood. "That sounds about right. Personally, I'd go see a doctor for a professional diagnosis before being certain."

"Uh, thanks?"

"No problem." Mr. Scheele then turned his head to look at the clock on the wall. "Oh, would you look at that? We're out of time."

Steven looked somewhat disappointed. "Oh... that's a shame. We were only getting started."

"Well, you did spend a lot of my time going into great detail about every traumatic event that happened to you. That takes plenty of time to exposit during an appointment. But anyway, it was nice meeting you, Steven. I look forward to seeing you again... you know, if you want to."

Steven chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, sure. Thanks, Mr. Scheele. I look forward to seeing you again, too."

* * *

After going back to his motel room, the very first thing Steven did was call Connie on his iPhone. He was so nervous but excited all at once at the thought of telling his girlfriend what his new therapist was like. After the third ringtone, Steven pressed the “answer phone” button on the screen and started talking with her.

“So Steven,” Connie began to speak. “How was your therapy session?”

“It went better than I expected,” Steven replied. “Mr. Scheele actually seems like a decent guy.”

“He does? That’s great. So what did you tell him when you guys first met?”

“Uh, everything?”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

“Uh, Steven? I know the whole point of therapy is to work through whatever problems you’re going through, but you think you could’ve started a bit smaller?”

“Well, I mean, why not? I’d have to reveal all that to him eventually, so why not get it all out there on the first day?”

“Well, at least you’re seeing someone about this, and that’s what really matters.”

“Thanks, Connie.”

“Ooh, gotta go. I’ve got a Chemistry exam coming up next week, and I need to study for it.”

“Oh... uh, good luck.”

“You too. Love you, Steven.”

“Love you too, babe.”

With that, Steven hung up. He looked outside and saw that daylight was already slipping away, something he hadn't noticed while talking on the phone with Connie. He also suddenly realized how stuffy it felt in the motel room, especially with no air conditioner in sight, so he slid open the window to get some cool air in. Once that was done, he plopped down on the bed and tried drifting off the sleep. This had been a long day. Maybe tomorrow, after he'd finished another therapy session with Mr. Scheele, he'd buy a mini fan to help cool off. Yeah, that's exactly what he'd do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, yeah, that's right! I forgot to show you what Mr. Scheele looks like. Here's [this section of the official Pinterest board for what Mr. Scheele and his family look like](https://www.pinterest.com/ZoisiteMoon/eyes-on-me/the-scheeles-ulysses-etc/). (Laurence Fishburne is Mr. Scheele's faceclaim.) The section itself isn't finished yet, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter starts getting down to business. Enjoy!

The next day, Steven drove off to a nearby Wal-Mart to buy the mini-fan he needed for his motel room. Upon setting foot inside the building, Steven was immediately greeted by a cool rush of ventilated air. It felt like forever since he'd felt the effects of an air conditioner on him. It practically gave him goosebumps, that air was so cold. Frankly, though, it was nice to experience this again. He moved on soon after to go looking for the perfect mini-fan.

He had a pretty good idea of what kind of mini-fan it should be. It would run on a set of triple-A batteries and plug into the electrical outlet situated between his splintery wooden nightstand and the cheap, rundown motel bed he slept in every night. It would blow cool, practically freezing polar air on his face and give him the same kind of goosebumps he was feeling in Wal-Mart right now. Perhaps best of all, it would be sleek and have that pristine chrome appearance to it, something like straight out of a sci-fi flick from the 1960s. Steven’s mind was humming with joy just thinking about this fan.

Erm, anyway, off he went to find the mini-fan of his dreams. He started looking in the aisle where mini-fans could usually be found: Heating, Cooling, and Air Quality. Practically hundreds of fans were staring into him, into his soul maybe? There were the regular metallic fans, the miniature metallic fans, the fans with blades made of young bamboo, the fans with blades made of shiny colorful plastic... he didn’t know they could be so diverse. As he made short, tiny steps through the aisle, he laser-focused his vision onto one particular mini-fan that would be perfect for the motel room. It was the same one he had been envisioning as the perfect mini-fan.

After buying it and driving back to the motel, he proceeded to plug the new mini-fan into the outlet between the splintery nightstand and the rundown, somewhat dirty motel bed. Finally, some much-needed comfort from the humid and stuffy weather. He couldn’t bear to sweat anymore after going without good air-conditioning for so long. Whenever the sun was beating down on him, he swore that he could feel his life force slipping away from his body, almost like an out-of-body experience. With the acquisition of the mini-fan out of the way, Steven proceeded to schedule another appointment with Mr. Scheele. As guilty as he felt for piling so much of his trauma onto his therapist on the first day, there was just something about Mr. Scheele that made him welcoming and just... like they were bonded not just by obligation, but by blood. He definitely wanted to see this man again.

Suddenly, Steven heard a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Steven asked cautiously.

“It’s me, your neighbor,” answered a disembodied voice.

“Uh, which one?”

“The one literally next door to you.”

It took Steven just a second to recognize that voice. “Wait a minute... Alexandra?”

“Uh-huh. Can I come in for a second?”

“Uh, sure.”

He opened the door, and sure enough, Alexandra was standing right in front of him. She stared at him with her jaw hanging slightly ajar while she flapped her hands up and down.

“So what is it that you want, Alexandra?” Steven asked curiously.

“I was wondering if I could borrow that panini press you have on the table?”

“Uh, sure. I don’t see why not.”

“Thanks, man. My portable stove broke earlier, and I don’t want to have to buy another one just yet.”

“Well, maybe after my next therapy session, I’ll buy you a mini-stove.”

“Really? You’d do that for me? Thanks, Steven. That would be so awesome.”

“No problem. Oh, and while you’re borrowing the panini press, I guess I could order something for dinner... something vegetarian, maybe?”

“Okey-dokey. Anyways, thanks for letting me borrow your panini press. I appreciate it.”

* * *

Just like before, Steven sat out in the waiting room outside Mr. Scheele's office. This time, he was mentally preparing himself for how today’s therapy session would go. Now that he had a good idea of what his therapist was like, he could rest easy and be certain that he could talk to him about anything. He was yet another person Steven could talk to about his feelings. He was someone Steven could interact while he was away from his friends and family. There was no doubt in his mind that Mr. Scheele was the right therapist for him. Suddenly, the therapist’s door opened.

"Mr. Universe?" Mr. Scheele called out to Steven.

“Yep, right here,” Steven replied while raising his hand.

“Ah, there you are. Come on in.”

Steven proceeded to do so. Almost immediately, Steven sat in his therapist’s direction.

“It’s good to see you back, Steven,” Mr. Scheele said. “It’s not every day that I see a client like you, especially after last time.”

“Uh, thanks, I guess...”

“I’m just surprised that you wanted to come back, that’s all. I figured after all that backstory you dumped onto me that you didn’t need me anymore.”

“Guess it’s a good thing you were wrong, huh?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say it like that...” He trailed off for a second. He’d nearly forgotten that he was going to ask Steven about something... something that could potentially be a little sensitive for Steven’s resolve. “So... Steven, you told me last time how you found out that your mother Rose was actually Petunia Diamond, whom people had presumed dead for eighteen years until you came forward and told the truth. How did you feel when Pearl revealed that information to you?”

Steven let out a heavy sigh. “I... I was shell-shocked. I just couldn’t believe that my mom, my own mother, could get away with faking a suicide for four years before having me. Pearl showed me photos of my mom before she became Rose. When she was Petunia, she seemed so sad and lonely. I can’t imagine how she must have felt while she was still living with my grandma.”

Mr. Scheele just looked at Steven with intrigue. “Go on.”

“I can’t even believe Mom had to resort to getting plastic surgery to get away from her old life. From what Pearl told me, my mother went through a lot of pain and misery before coming to Beach City.”

“Care to give an example on what she went through?”

Steven composed himself for a minute before speaking again. “Pearl told me a story about how Mom realized at some point that she didn’t want to be part of the music industry anymore. She wanted to get out of her contract that Grandma had her sign in order to get her own record company. Thing was... it was a lifetime contract. It could only be broken upon death. It didn’t take long for me to realize that’s why Mom faked her suicide.”

“Why did your mother want to get out of the music industry? Was that something Pearl even brought up with you or...?”

“She told me that Petunia saw how Grandma and my aunts were screwing over these young artists who just wanted their big break in music. Apparently, they would only accept more seasoned artists.”

Mr. Scheele sat there, confused at what he just heard. “They only wanted older artists? That’s ageism, isn’t it?”

“I’m pretty sure it is.”

“Were your grandmother and aunts worried at all that they could face backlash from doing this?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. I kinda doubt it, though. Mom tried addressing it when she and the rest of the family would meet up for business, suggesting that perhaps they should start opening up to those younger artists who wanted to start their music careers. They shot her down every time.”

“So after that was when she started assuming the Rose Curtis persona to protest Diamond Bright Records, right?”

“No, actually. She originally came up with the Rose Curtis persona to mingle with the younger artists undercover whenever she visited the hotels where auditions were being held. It wasn’t until she had her ideas rejected that she used that persona to protest Diamond Bright Records and her own record company. She even went so far as to cyberbully herself to make it seem more convincing.”

Mr. Scheele was only slightly alarmed by this revelation. “Oh my... well, I’m certainly not going to judge that, especially since... well, for better or worse, she managed to pull it off.” He then turned his head to look at the clock on the wall. "Oh, would you look at that? We're almost out of time."

“Do you want me to tell you more about my mother or...?”

“No, I think I’ve heard enough. Thank you.”

Steven started getting up from his chair. “Oh, okay. Before I go, can I show you what my mother looked like before and after she got the plastic surgery?”

“Uh, sure. I don’t see why not.”

Steven whipped out his smartphone and brought up a before-and-after comparison picture he’d made of his mother. He brought the screen up a few inches from Mr. Scheele’s face, allowing the older man to get a good look at her.

“She certainly does look beautiful...” Mr. Scheele murmured. “She almost looks like she could be my daughter...”

“Huh?” Steven asked, confused.

Mr. Scheele instantly realized what he’d just said. “Oh! Uh, it’s nothing. Forget I said that. You can go now.”

“Oh, okay. Well, here’s hoping we see each other again.”

“Same here.”

* * *

On the drive back, Steven couldn’t stop thinking about how weird it was hearing his therapist make a comment on his mother like that. Almost looked like she could be his daughter? Was there something the therapist wasn’t telling him? Had he stumbled upon someone who was actually related to him? Did he really want to know? He’d have to ask Mr. Scheele about that another time. Right now, he needed to get back to the motel and talk with Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Ruby, and Sapphire on Zoom.

Once back at the motel, Steven locked the door behind him, logged on to his laptop, and went onto to Zoom to start chatting with his friends and family back in Beach City.


	3. Chapter 3

"You mean you actually told him everything I revealed about your mother that day?" Pearl asked, shocked at what she'd just heard.

"I mean, he did ask me how I felt when you told me that stuff," Steven replied. "How could I not?"

"How much did you tell him?"

"About as much as he wanted to know."

"Okay, but how much did you tell him?"

"Just some of it."

Pearl breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. I was hoping you didn't go into too much detail about what happened to your mother, that's all."

"Oh, also, I was showing Mr. Scheele comparison pics of Mom and I could've sworn I heard him mutter about how she could've been his daughter or something."

In the background of Pearl's screen, he could hear a plastic tumbler drop down to the ground.

"Say what?!" Amy practically shrieked behind Pearl.

“Oh, Amy,” Steven suddenly spoke up. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“Yeah, that’s so crazy, dude!”

“No kidding.”

“Can you ask him what he meant by that?”

Steven scrunched his face up in discomfort. “Uh... I don’t think I want to go there, Amy. We’re only a therapist and his patient at this point.”

Amy scoffed at his answer. “Alright, whatever. It was worth a shot, at least.”

“Amy, don’t go asking that kind of stuff,” Pearl scolded. “These kind of matters can be really personal, you know.”

Amy could only roll her eyes at this. “Jeez, sorry. I had no idea it was inappropriate.”

Steven cleared his throat. “So... anyway, how have things been?”

Pearl instantly perked up. “Oh yes, how do I say this? Garnet’s going to be a mother!”

Steven raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Wait, what? What do you mean by ‘going to be a mom?’ Like is she pregnant or adopting?”

“Adopting.”

“Oh, congratulations. I hope she’s a good mom.”

“She should be!” Ruby chimed in. “She’s gonna learn from the best.”

“Very cool,” Steven said. “Anything else I should know about?”

Pearl just giggled. “Not really. Everything’s been going fine since you left for West Virginia.”

“Oh, that’s great. Ooh, gotta talk to you guys later. It’s almost 11:45 PM.”

“Oh, okay. Bye, Steven.”

“Bye, Pearl. Can’t wait to talk to you guys later.”

With that, Steven ended the Zoom meeting and got ready for bed. He had a feeling that tomorrow would be one of the long days.

* * *

The next day, Steven decided to head out and buy some groceries for the week. His first stop was Wal-Mart, the same place where he had bought the mini-fan of his dreams. Tonight, he was contemplating having a good Caesar salad for dinner, plus some spaghetti squash with tomato sauce. He figured that he could look for all the ingredients he needed at Wal-Mart before stopping by the other stores. That way, he could see for himself what the Wal-Mart salad kits would be like, whether they were fresh, whether they’d been handled properly, etc.

As soon as he stepped foot inside the Wal-Mart, he instantly made a beeline for where the salad kits were. Various shades of green greeted his visuals, along with some other colors of the rainbow. Steven’s eyes scanned over the other salad kits before locking onto the Caesar salad kit with croutons. It looked fresh enough, and it seemed to have been sealed properly. Steven decided to go ahead and pick it up before heading over to where the spaghetti squash was being kept and then the aisle where the salad dressings were.

All throughout this shopping excursion, thoughts kept running through Steven’s head about why Mr. Scheele would think his mother looked like his daughter. Indeed, it seemed strange that a therapist would say anything like that about a patient’s mother, but maybe it was just nothing. If it really was nothing, though, why was he still thinking about it?

Steven tried to put these thoughts on the back burner while he went through checkout and paid for the items. He’d have to talk with his therapist about it later. Right now, he had some dinner to prepare.

* * *

After his third-ever therapy session with Mr. Scheele, Steven exchanged personal phone numbers, hoping that they could get the chance to meet outside of therapy appointments. Steven was a bit nervous, though? What was Mr. Scheele like outside of his work? Was he just as affable with people? Who knew? Steven certainly wanted to know, but would it be worth it?

Steven decided to call Mr. Scheele later that week and arrange meeting for lunch at Panera Bread. They talked for close to an hour about how things had been, what had been going on with their loved ones, and even how Steven had been handling his emotions since the last couple therapy sessions.

“So what do you say?” Steven asked finally. “You up for that lunch at Panera?”

“I’d like that a lot,” Mr. Scheele replied. “It’d be nice to get to know each other outside of the usual mold.”

“Great, so when would you like to meet up?”

“Tomorrow at two in the afternoon.”

“Great, see you then.”

“You too, Steven.”

With that, Mr. Scheele hung up. Steven was hoping to ask about the comment Mr. Scheele had made during the second therapy session, but he wondered if he’d maybe hit a nerve with him. Wouldn’t hurt to try, though, would it? What could go wrong?


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Steven and Mr. Scheele met up for lunch at Panera. Almost right away, there were some friendly exchanges.

“So Steven, how nervous were you on the way here?” Mr. Scheele asked amusingly.

“Maybe a little nervous,” Steven replied nonchalantly. “What about you?”

Mr. Scheele chuckled a bit. “Same here, Steven. Same here.”

“So, uh... what do you hope to get here?”

“Uh, I’ll have to look at the menu first and see. What about you?”

“I’ll tell you when we’re inside and getting our orders.”

“Sounds good to me.”

* * *

After the boy and his therapist had ordered their food and gotten their drinks, they headed over to a booth and sat down. An awkward silence followed, and it lasted for half a minute. Finally, after the thirty seconds had passed, Mr. Scheele was the one to break the silence.

“So, uh...” Mr. Scheele began to speak. “You’re probably wondering why I made that comment about your mother.”

“How did you know?” Steven asked, slightly confused by what his therapist just told him.

“Just a hunch. Anyway, truth be told... I think there’s a chance that Petunia--- or Rose, rather --- may have actually been my daughter.”

“Uh, how? Grandma said she used an anonymous sperm donor and an anonymous egg donor in order to make Petunia.”

“Well, back in the ‘80s... I donated sperm to help pay for college.”

“Why did you resort to donating sperm to help pay for college?”

“I was actually the first person in my family to go to college. My parents only got as far as 10th and 11th grade before they dropped out of school. I was determined to get the best possible education I could, better than what my parents got. Problem was, my parents weren’t quite willing to help out with my tuition at the time, so I did whatever was possible for me to make money. That included, well, donating sperm anonymously.”

“So... you think Mom may have come about as a result of you donating sperm while you were in college?”

“I mean, the timeline adds up, doesn’t it? Your mother was born in 1986, I was born in 1961, and I attended college from 1979 to 1986. So it would make sense, then, for Petunia to have been my daughter, would it not?”

Steven was speechless. Mr. Scheele’s reasoning seemed impeccable. However, he needed more proof before he absolutely took his therapist’s word for it.

“Well?” Mr. Scheele asked again.

“I think we’ll have to do a DNA test before we can be sure about this, Mr. Scheele,” Steven finally replied.

Mr. Scheele nodded his head to show that he understood. “That’s fair. You don’t want to just take my word for it. Alright, I tell you what. After lunch, why don’t we go have the DNA test done and then later get the results?”

“Sounds good.”

“Good. Oh, here comes our food.”

The server came to their table and brought their food back on two small trays. Steven and Mr. Scheele then proceeded to eat their food for about twenty minutes.

* * *

The seventy-two hours before Steven and his therapist got their results proved to be the longest seventy-two hours he’d ever felt. In the time it took for Steven to actually receive the results, he did some more grocery shopping at a local store, paid the motel bill, purchased some more furniture for his room, and lastly joined some Zoom meetings to talk with his loved ones. 

Upon checking up on his loved ones back in Delaware, Steven was pleased to learn that Pearl and Belinda were in the process of trying to have a baby through IVF, Garnet was going to adopt her baby from a pregnant transmasculine teenager who called themself Malachite, Amy was seeing a girl who was visiting from New Hampshire, Sadie had gotten pregnant using Shep’s eggs in a process called reciprocal IVF, and that Greg was trying to insert himself into the world of dating again.

When he finally got his hands on the DNA test results, Steven quickly opened up the manila envelope that contained and had a look at what was in front of him. He couldn’t believe it... it was true, after all. Steven proceeded to call up Mr. Scheele on the phone and tell him what happened.

“Do the results say I’m your grandson, Mr. Scheele?” Steven asked his therapist.

“It would appear so,” Mr. Scheele replied matter-of-factly. “Guess I was right to think Petunia was my daughter.”

“So, uh... what now? You’re my therapist and my grandpa... do you think this will change anything between us?”

“I hope not. Though, uh... it’s a little funny when you think about it. I’m a professional therapist, helping my grandson deal with problems in his life. Who would ever believe it?”

“I know, right? It seems so surreal.”

Despite knowing that Steven wouldn’t be able to see it over the phone, Mr. Scheele nodded his head to show that he understood. “So, uh... there’s something I want to ask of you...”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Would you mind meeting my family this Sunday? It seems only fair since, well, you’re their family as well.”

“Oh, uh, sure. I’d love to. Are they nice?”

“Oh, yeah, they’re nice. They’re already aware that you exist, too, so there shouldn’t be any problems getting along or anything.”

“Oh, great. Alright, I gotta go. I need to tell my friends and family back in Delaware about this.”

* * *

After telling his loved ones the news and carefully going over the directions that his newfound grandfather gave him for his home address, Steven hopped into his car and headed straight down there. He couldn't wait to meet his grandpa's wife and kids in person.

As he drove along to his intended destination, Steven couldn't help but wonder whether it was destiny that brought them together. After all the suffering he'd been through within the past several weeks, he deserved a break. The therapy had certainly helped him come to terms with how he'd been feeling, but it could be a little taxing if he kept at it every week. A break would surely do him good.

As if very little time had passed at all, Steven finally made it to his grandfather’s house. It looked just like how he imagined: a house practically the size of a mansion built on a stable concrete foundation and decorated with various beige stones. The front doors were twice the size Mr. Scheele was (they were about twelve feet tall), and the windows also towered over the man of the house and his long-lost grandson.

“Alright,” Steven told himself. “Just knock. Then we’ll wait to see what happens.”

After Steven knocked on the door, he waited for a good two seconds before someone answered the door. Steven immediately saw that it was a Black woman in her 60s who answered the door. He came to the conclusion that this was Mr. Scheele’s wife.

“Uh, hi,” Steven quickly squeaked out. “You must be Mrs. Scheele.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Mrs. Scheele said. “My name’s Penelope, but you can call me Penny for short... or Mrs. Scheele, your choice.”

“Okay, thanks. I’m Steven. I just found out that your husband...”

“Yes, I know. He already told me. He also invited you to come in and get to know us, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did. So, uh... what now?”

“What are you waiting for? Come on in.”


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Steven set foot inside his grandfather's enormous house, he was immediately greeted by three new faces. The three strangers he’d just come face to face with were presumably siblings (and thus Mr. and Mrs. Scheele’s children). The children were thirty, twenty-seven, and twenty-five years old, respectively. Steven also noticed that they wore clothes not unlike those from their contemporaries’ wardrobes.

“Oh, right,” Mrs. Scheele suddenly said. “These lovely grown-ups are our children. Steven, meet Circe, Athena, and Keanu. They are your aunts and uncle.”

“Hey, guys,” Steven said while he waved to his long-lost relatives. “How’s it going?”

It was then that Steven took a closer look at his aunts and uncle. 

The oldest, Circe, had a weird youthful face with eyes a little big for her sockets and a tiny nose. Her lips were somewhat filled out, albeit not too much. Her facial features actually made her look fifteen years younger. Her makeup, done up in such a way reminiscent of the early 2020s, probably helped to maintain the youthful appearance. Circe’s hair also happened to be done up in Bantu knots.

Athena’s facial features also culminated in a similar babyface, making her more or less look like she could pass for a fifteen-year-old. Her eyelids were decorated in metallic purple eyeshadow and her lips were a pinkish shade of gold. Her hair was styled into dreadlocks, which were subsequently put into a ponytail.

Lastly, there was Keanu. As chance would have it, he happened to look just like Jaden Smith. Unlike his sisters, his hair retained its natural texture on top. However, the sides of his head had a distinct fade-in appearance only someone like him could pull off. He wore shades that were only small enough to obscure his eyes, and he had on a button-up Hawaiian shirt with patterns of flowers and birds.

“Uh, good,” Circe said. “What’s going on here?”

Mrs. Scheele resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Well, you remember what your dad told you, right? About when he used to donate sperm in college?”

“Uh, yeah?” Keanu sounded.

“Well, a very famous woman named Whitney Diamond used your daddy’s special sperm to make the mother of this fine young man.”

“Wait, Whitney Diamond?” Athena asked in shock. “The Whitney Diamond? The one who founded the Diamond Brights record company?”

“The very same. She used a different egg as well to have her youngest daughter, but Steven is undoubtedly your dad’s grandson. Unfortunately, Miss Petunia couldn’t be here to meet us, as much as we wish she could. She died when Steven was born.”

“Yeah, I think Dad told us about Petunia being dead.”

“Oh, right. Well, Steven’s here now, and I’m hoping he’ll stay long enough to have dinner with us.”

Steven instantly beamed up. “Of course I’ll stay and have dinner with you guys. Why wouldn’t I have dinner with my long-lost family members?”

“Oh yeah, Dad said you were vegetarian,” Keanu now spoke. “That true?”

Steven nodded. “Yeah, that’s true.”

“Huh, neat.” Keanu reached out his fist to fist-pump his newly found nephew. “C’mon, bump me one, Steve-O.”

Steven fist-pumped his uncle back. “So, uh... you guys seem pretty cool. Maybe after dinner, I can stay with you guys for a little longer?”

“Sounds good to us,” Circe said.

“Me too,” Athena agreed.

* * *

Dinner came and went. By now, everyone in the house was full to the brim and eager to do anything else. Steven was the one to suggest that they go out shopping for Halloween stuff. Steven couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually participated in anything vaguely Halloween-related, especially since the pandemic a few years back. Still, he was eager to get back into the spirit of things.

The first place Steven and his aunts and uncle stopped by was Spirit Halloween. When they’d made their way inside the building, Steven asked about what building it’d previously been before Spirit Halloween took over. Circe responded by explaining that Spirit Halloween was occupying a K-Mart that had been abandoned for half a decade. Steven was somewhat sad that so many people who worked at K-Mart before it permanently closed had to lose their jobs, and he hoped that for the sakes of the ones left unemployed, they’d gone on to do greater things.

Steven decided that the best way to distract him from the sad thoughts would be to browse around for any Halloween costumes he and Connie could wear together. They were jam buddies, after all. Surely, they could spend Halloween together this year, right? He certainly hoped so, anyway. At least he’d been getting better with every passing week.

While browsing through the store to find the perfect couples’ costumes, he overheard a man talking with a police officer and insisting that he wasn’t suicidal and that he’d been having a rough year. Steven couldn’t help but wonder to himself if he should intervene or not. He kept moving, trying his best not to pay attention to the conversation he’d overheard a moment ago. He couldn’t stop listening. The man told the police officers that his name was Andre and that he’d dealt with drugs in the past. Steven couldn’t help but notice that the police officer had not behaved strangely once during the whole conversation. Steven had to wonder what he would do if he were in Andre’s shoes, whether he and that police officer would have the same conversation.

After coming across some Gomez and Morticia Addams costumes for himself and Connie, Steven caught up with his aunts and uncle at check-out and paid for his costumes. On the way out, he saw cops tackling Andre to the ground, yelling at the man while he cried and continued to insist that he wasn’t suicidal. 

Steven tried to forget about what he’d just witnessed, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he should have intervened on Andre’s behalf or just kept to himself. After all, it was in his nature to try to help people whenever possible. Of course, he’d been trying to instill in himself that not everyone needed his help. Still... Steven wanted to do the right thing. It would be wrong to let this go. Nonetheless, he did nothing.

* * *

“How did costume shopping go, Steven?” Mr. Scheele amusingly asked Steven.

“It was great,” Steven replied with a smile. “I had a lot of fun. I actually even picked out some Gomez and Morticia Addams costumes for myself and Connie.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Yeah. Uh, actually, I’d like to talk with you about something I saw while I was leaving Spirit Halloween.”

“In a minute, Steven. First, I need to use the restroom.”

“Oh, okay. Take as much time as you need.”

Steven then waited a minute while his grandfather used the bathroom. Once Mr. Scheele came out, he and Steven proceeded to start talking.

“Okay, so what exactly did you see while you were leaving Spirit Halloween with Circe, Athena, and Keanu?”

It didn’t take much effort for Steven to remember exactly what he’d just witnessed. “Well, I saw a man named Andre outside being held to the ground by police officers. I don’t know what happened to lead up to that, but he was crying and telling the cops over and over that he wasn’t suicidal. What’s weird is that I saw him earlier in the store, and he and I guess those same cops were just talking and he was telling them he wasn’t suicidal even then.” He chose his next few words carefully and omitted the part about Andre mentioning that he’d dealt drugs. “I didn’t know what to do. Something inside told me that I needed to help him, but at the same time, I was worried about what the cops would do to me if I tried to intervene. I know bad things tend to happen when...” He trailed off, wondering if that was the last time he’d see Andre alive.

“Go on,” Mr. Scheele could only say.

“Do you think I did the right thing by walking away?”

Mr. Scheele sighed. “To be honest, I’m not sure. Our relationship with law enforcement is... complicated, to say the least. We tend to have more bad experiences with them than good. So for you to just walk away like that... who knows what could’ve happened?”

“I mean, I really wanted to help Andre, but I’ve tried so hard to internalize that there are just some people who can’t be helped and not everyone needs help. I don’t know if I would’ve made that situation better or worse, you know?”

“It’s good that you were keeping in mind that not everyone needs help. Uh, still, you should keep in mind that, well... law enforcement isn’t always a good thing. It’s steeped in corruption and systematic racism.”

“Uh, thanks? That’s not what I grew up on back in Delaware, though.”

“I get it. I really do. It’s not easy to see the police as anything but a necessary part of our society. It’s just... when you’ve been on the receiving end of abuse of power and bigotry from the men in blue, it changes how you see those people. You understand?”

Steven let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I do.”

Mr. Scheele gave him a little smile. "Good. So, uh... why don't you tell me about how you plan to spend Halloween with Connie? That should get your mind off things, right?"

Steven's smile started to come back. "Yeah, I guess it would."


	6. Chapter 6

About three days had passed by since Steven had witnessed something traumatic. By now, he was excited to take his grandpa Ulysses and his family to meet his loved ones. Steven couldn't help but wonder what his grandfather would think of his dad or Connie or even all the other people who were a part of his life. When he’d first told his therapist/grandpa about them, Ulysses had seemed genuinely interested in getting to know them. Ulysses had been especially curious to see what Whitney was like in person. After all, all he’d really had to go on was that Whitney had used his sperm to make Petunia and that she was the one behind the mega-famous Diamond Bright Records.

Still, Steven was certain that things would turn out fine. After all, his grandfather was still his therapist. Even if things did go wrong somehow, Steven knew that he could at least talk to someone about it. Right now, however, Steven needed to get through introducing his loved ones and his grandpa’s family to one another.

And so Steven managed to drive everyone down to Beach City, Delaware, and show them around the town before eventually taking them down to the beach house where Steven had grown up.

“Wow,” Ulysses just said. “You have a nice house here, Steven.”

“Yes, very nice,” his wife Penelope quickly agreed.

Steven let out a small laugh. “Thanks. I practically spent my entire life in this house.” He then proceeded to knock the door. “Alright, guys. Just hang back a bit. You’re going to love everyone in the house.”

Just as Steven said this, the door opened up to reveal Pearl standing right there. Behind her were Amy and Garnet discussing what the latter would be doing when her adopted child arrived.

“Uh, can I help you?” Pearl asked uncertainly.

“You’re Pearl Bradford, aren’t you?” Ulysses asked back. “Steven told me about how you and Amy and Garnet’s mothers helped his father to raise him.”

“Yes, I...” She then suddenly remembered. “Oh yes, that’s right! You’re Steven’s therapist. Steven told me over the phone how you were his long-lost grandfather.”

“Yes, that’s right. So... how have things been for you and everyone else in the household?”

“Great, great. Steven told you that Garnet’s going to be adopting a baby, right?”

Ulysses nodded. “Yes, he did. I’m going to take a wild guess and say that Garnet will be doing this alone, right?”

“Yes. Garnet’s never been... attracted to anyone, so to speak. So it will just be her raising that baby. Its birth parent... their name is Malachite, they’re transmasculine, and they’re only fourteen years old. I don’t know a whole lot about Malachite besides that, but I’ve been told that the pregnancy has been giving them major dysphoria issues.”

“I see.”

“Malachite has also been in a love triangle with two brothers, one of whom might actually be the father of their baby.”

“Oh my. Well, here’s hoping they’ll figure things out along the way.”

“Me too. Malachite’s a smart child. I’m sure they’ll do what’s best for everyone.”

Ulysses nodded again. “Mm-hmm. Speaking of Garnet, where is she?”

Pearl pointed him towards the kitchen where Garnet now happened to be helping her mothers do the dishes. “She’s over there.” She just smiled at the man standing before her. “You’re doing a great job, by the way.”

“Thank you. I must say, you, Amy, Ruby, and Sapphire all did a great job helping to raise him. I’ve never seen such a kind and generous young man like him.”

Pearl chuckled a bit. “Well, we all did our best.”

“I’m sure you did.”

Once Penelope was sure Ulysses and Pearl were done talking, she extended her hand for Pearl to shake.

“Hi, I’m Ulysses’ wife Penelope,” Penelope introduced herself while she and Pearl were shaking hands. “And I guess you’re Pearl.”

Pearl nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

“I couldn’t help but overhear how great of a job you and the others must have done in raising Steven.”

“Aww, shucks. We were only doing our best.”

“Can you take me in to see Amy and Ruby and Sapphire?”

“Oh, sure.” Pearl gestured at Penelope towards the inside of the beach house. “Come on in.”

With that, Penelope and all three of the Scheele children followed Pearl inside. As if out of nowhere, Greg came out of the house to see Steven and Ulysses. Apparently, he’d been helping Ruby and Sapphire start assembling a crib for their grandchild’s room.

“Oh, hey, Schtu-ball!” Greg greeted his son. He then pointed at Ulysses. “Who’s this guy? Is he your therapist you were talking about?”

“Yes, I am him,” Ulysses replied. “I’m also his grandfather. You know, Petunia’s father?”

“Oh yeah, Steven told me all about that. I just wish you could have met Petunia. I bet she would’ve loved you.”

“Me too. So you’re Steven’s father, aren’t you?”

“Yep. I’m so glad Steven has had you as his therapist. You seem like a cool guy.”

“You too, Greg. Steven told me a lot about you and how passionate you are about music.”

Greg nervously chuckled. “Oh, he did? Well, I don’t know about you but... I haven’t put out much music in a while. These days, I just focus on being there for my little dude. Speaking of music, you want to hear my newest material?”

“Sure.” Ulysses turned to look at his wife and kids. “Would you mind joining in? I’m sure whatever Greg made for us will be good.”

Ulysses’ wife and kids just shrugged and said, “Oh yeah, sure, why not?”

As Ulysses went inside the beach house, his family trailed behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Once Ulysses and his family were inside, they made sure to look around the place and take in their surroundings. The first thing they noticed when they looked up above was what used to be Steven’s room upstairs. Nowadays, that room was reserved for his father, and it’d been decorated to his tastes as well. They also looked to see the wooden crib left partially finished. They knew right away that that crib was meant for Garnet’s soon-to-be-born adopted child.

“Hello,” Garnet simply said when she saw the Scheeles.

“Oh, hello, Garnet,” Ulysses replied. “So, uh, Pearl says you’ll be raising your child by yourself. Is that true?”

Garnet nodded. “Yes, it’s true. I don’t need anybody else to help me... well, maybe except my mums. I can always go to them for help if I need it, I guess.”

“Ah, okay. Garnet, I would like for you to meet my wife and kids. Garnet, this is Penelope, and these are our children Circe, Athena, and Keanu. Penelope, kids, this is Garnet. Say hi.”

Penelope and the three kids all greeted Garnet with a friendly hello. Garnet greeted them back, and she did it with a smile to boot. Ulysses then introduced his family to the rest of Steven’s group of friends. Meanwhile, Steven decided to talk with Pearl for a bit.

“So Steven,” Pearl began to speak. “It seems your grandfather’s family is a nice bunch of people to spend time with.”

“Yeah, they sure are,” Steven said. “I actually went Halloween costume shopping with them.”

“You did? How did that go?”

“Yeah, it went well. I got these Morticia and Gomez Addams costumes for me and Connie to wear. Circe and Athena also saw costumes for Princess Peach and Princess Daisy, and I think Keanu got a costume for Scout from ‘Team Fortress 2.’”

“Ah. It sounds like you had a good time.”

Steven chuckled nervously. “Yeah.”

“Steven, is everything all right?”

Steven then heavily sighed. “Well, there was one thing that happened at that Halloween store. As Circe, Athena, Keanu, and I were leaving, I saw a man named Andre outside being held to the ground by police officers. I don’t know what happened to lead up to that, but he was crying and telling the cops over and over that he wasn’t suicidal.”

Pearl couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Oh my...”

Steven then went on to explain everything else that happened at the Halloween store, including when he’d overheard Andre speaking earlier with the police officers. Pearl could only listen as her surrogate son regaled her with what he thought he should've done and how he felt as he watched the whole scene unfold. Pearl couldn't have been any more proud of him here than she was at any other point in time, especially when Steven wrapped up his recounting of the events by telling her about his discussion with Ulysses.

“Steven...” Pearl began to speak again. “I’m really sorry you had to see that for yourself.”

“I know. Do you think I did the right thing by walking away?”

“Do you think you could’ve done more?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. I know it was always my thing to try to help people, but I had to instill in myself that I didn’t need to help everyone and not everyone needed my help. I just... I feel kinda lost, Pearl.”

“I know. I felt just as lost as you are when your mother died. When your mother died, it felt like part of me died, too.”

“But then you found a new purpose in life, right?”

“Yes, helping to raise you. You may not be able to help everyone you come across, but you can find another way to make an impact in others’ lives.”

“Such as?”

“Well, you could participate in a Black Lives Matter protest. You could be doing yourself and your aunts and uncle a service by focusing your energy on fighting racial injustice. Did it ever occur to you that something like what happened with Andre could one day happen to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, one day, you might be a victim of police brutality simply because you’re half-Black. You might be a victim, and you might not even get justice because of the color of your skin. Did you ever think about that?”

Steven actually hadn’t given that possibility much thought. All his life, he’d been taught that law enforcement were his friends. As far as he could tell, none of the police officers in Beach City had a racist bone in their body. When he was in West Virginia, however, he saw a different side that he never imagined he would even see. With this important question that Pearl had imposed on him, he now needed to reflect on what he had witnessed. When he had witnessed Andre being taken away by police, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever see him alive again. After all, he knew that bad things tended to happen to Black people when the police got involved. If the same were to happen to him... he wasn’t quite inclined to think about what could happen should he actually die at the hands of law enforcement.

“Gee, I guess not,” Steven finally replied. “I guess I was so concerned with what could happen to people like Andre that I never even took myself into consideration.” 

He walked over to the kitchen table where Belinda and Peri were eating, and he proceeded to sit himself down and try to start a conversation with two of his closest friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, Malachite was just now approaching the beach house where their child would be growing up, their hand resting firmly on their bump. They were making the transition from the first trimester to the second, but that wasn’t the only remarkable change they’d been noticing lately. They noticed that their parents had been fighting a lot more after they’d gotten pregnant. Actually, Malachite’s parents had been fighting since their child had gotten into a love triangle with the brothers from next door, one of which might be the father. It didn’t take long before the fighting quickly progressed to being heated and nasty, with all seven of their children (but especially Malachite) being left to pick up the pieces when all was said and done.

Malachite was only fourteen. The last thing they wanted was to have to deal with raising a child while also struggling with gender dysphoria and their crumbling home life. It would be for the best if their child was raised by someone else... someone like Garnet Harvey-Dahl.

Malachite wasted no time in knocking on the door. It only took a few seconds before someone answered the door... and it wasn’t Garnet.

“Hi, who are you?” Malachite asked the stranger uncertainly.

The stranger quickly perked up and smiled. “Oh, yes! I’m Pearl. I’m a friend of Garnet’s. You must be Malachite Henderson.”

Malachite nodded their head. “Yep, that’s me.”

“Come on in, Malachite. A friend of mine just came back from West Virginia and brought a few family members with him. I’d like for you to meet them.”

Malachite nodded again and gave a little smile. “Okay, sure. That would be great.”


	8. Chapter 8

From the kitchen table, Steven turned his head to see Pearl bringing in the teenager known as Malachite. It was nice to see the transmasculine teenager finally come down here and meet up with Garnet’s friends.

“Hey, Malachite!” Steven called out to them from the kitchen. “It’s nice meeting you here!”

“And who’s this?” Malachite asked Pearl curiously.

Pearl gestured at Steven. “This is Steven. He’s the friend I told you had just come back from West Virginia. He brought his grandfather and his family to meet us.”

Malachite pursed their lips before speaking again. “So... how many other people live here besides Garnet and her moms?”

Pearl wasted no time in answering. “Well, there’s me, my girlfriend Belinda, our mutual friend Amy Traversie, Amy’s birth mother Jasper, Jasper’s ex-girlfriend Nyoko, Peri, and then Steven’s father Greg. Steven also lived here all his life until he moved away fairly recently to try to heal himself.”

“Oh... I didn’t realize Garnet had been living with so many people.”

“Well, we all get along... for the most part anyway.” Pearl turned back to look at Nyoko listlessly scrolling through social media on her phone while Jasper looked out the window. “Jasper and Nyoko’s relationship is... uh, complicated to say the least. Long story.”

“I’m sure it is.”

Pearl cleared her throat. “Anyway, let me show you around the place. I want to make sure you have a good idea where your child will be growing up.”

* * *

After Pearl showed Malachite around the beach house, she and Steven decided to invite Connie over. Steven was absolutely certain that Connie would want to see him after he’d been away for four months. Surely, they’d both been pining for some physical interaction, something that couldn’t be achieved with Zoom meetings, FaceTime calls, or regular phone calls. He wanted so long to hold Connie, to feel her embrace. He wanted nothing more than to deepen the bond between him and Connie.

“Hey, Steven,” Connie just said. “How’s West Virginia been treating you?”

Steven just gave her a little smile. “Not too bad. I invited my therapist and his family to meet you guys in person.”

Connie gaped at him. “Really? Oh my gosh, Steven. Did you tell Mr. Scheele about, uh...?”

“Yeah, I told him about how hard you’ve been working in school.”

“Did you also tell him how I managed to get into the Honor Society while only in 10th grade?”

“Yeah, I told him about that, too. He said it was impressive that you were able to do it.”

“Really?”

Steven nodded again. “Oh yeah, I could tell by the look on his face how pleasantly surprised to hear all that. Man, whenever you get into college, your professors are so gonna get blown away by how great you are.”

Connie smiled and then blushed in quick succession. “Aw, that’s sweet, Steven. Thank you.”

“No prob.” All of a sudden, Steven’s face lit up as if he’d almost forgotten something. “Oh, have you met Malachite yet?”

“Malachite? Oh, you mean that person who’s giving their child up for Garnet to adopt?”

“That’s the one. Come on, I’ll show you.”

* * *

A couple hours later, Steven and Connie sat at the foot of Greg’s bed, watching the latest episode of the darker and edgier “Lil’ Butler” reboot. The whole time they sat and watched, the young lovers couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had happened in the last four months, especially with Steven’s hospital stay following his suicide attempt.

With everything that had happened to him, Steven hardly even seemed to notice his 17th birthday passing him by, and that was only two months ago. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that, not feeling any strong emotions about his birthday. As for Connie... well, as much as she enjoyed 10th grade, it could be pretty stressful at times. She'd already had to deal with having Zoom meetings with Steven while he was staying in West Virginia, but she never imagined that she'd have to do Zoom meetings whenever in-person classes were cancelled. Just as well, as great as her grades had been, the amount of homework she had to deal with every night hadn't been doing great for her mental health. As determined as she felt to get into Harvard or Yale, she sometimes had doubts on what all she could do in this world. She was certain Steven also had his doubts on what he was capable of achieving. As a result, she empathized with him on a level far deeper than most young lovers had managed to go to.

"Steven, I know how hard it must be to maintain your mental health," Connie began to say. "It's been hard for me, too."

"I bet," Steven replied. "Especially where Zoom classes are concerned. Doesn't it get exhausting for you after a while?"

"Well, I mean Zoom fatigue is a thing." She turned her head to face him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Whenever I have to take a Zoom class should an in-person class be cancelled, I can't help but wish I had some free time. It would help to alleviate the stress."

"I know what you mean. Dropping out of high school was probably the best thing I could've done in regards to my mental health. I mean, how was I supposed to learn when I wasn't in the best mindset? The counselors didn't do much to help, either. They just dismissed my problems as regular teenage problems."

"Oh my gosh, that's awful!"

"Tell me about it."

"So... once you finish up your therapy sessions with your grandpa, will you want to enroll back in school?"

Steven shrugged. "Depends on how well the students and teachers treat me."

Connie's eyes cast down onto the ground. "I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do for you."

"I mean you're already doing your best to support me by calling me on Zoom and calling me up every day, asking how my day was and telling me how much you love me. Isn't that enough?"

"I guess, but somehow, it doesn't feel like I'm putting in as much effort as I should."

Steven smiled warmly at her. "There's no need to worry about that right now. We've still got the rest of our lives ahead of us."

Connie smiled back at him. It always seemed like he knew what to say.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter onwards contains new names for characters. Here's a list of the new names, so as not to be confused.
> 
> Emerald= Esmeralda  
> Stevonnie= Stefani

At last, Halloween had finally come. Now was Steven's time to shine. With him and Connie dressed up as Gomez and Morticia Addams, it seemed like nothing could stop him, especially where the Halloween party down at the rec center was concerned.

Garnet, Amy, Peri, and Greg had also decided to come along for the Halloween party. Just like Steven and Connie, the plus-ones also decided to don costumes for this special occasion. Garnet, for example, had decided that she would be dressed up as Foxxy Cleopatra from "Austin Powers: Goldmember." Amy, for her part, was cosplaying as Lara Croft, a video game character that she found rather attractive. Peri was so enthused about joining in on the Halloween festivities that she wasted no time dressing up as "Invader Zim," someone that she could relate to on a somewhat personal level. And then there was Greg. Greg was dressed up as a middle-aged Kurt Cobain, down to the oversized plaid shirt and the worn sneakers.

The first people to greet the group at the Halloween party were Sadie, Shep, and Lars. Sadie was dressed up as Michelle Pfeiffer's take on Catwoman from "Batman Returns" while her partner Shep donned the costume of Black Panther. It seemed totally like the couple to dress up in thematic costumes. Steven and Connie couldn't help but envy Sadie and Shep a bit over their costumes being on fleek. As for Lars, he was donning the costume of Captain Harlock (who was apparently a character from an anime Steven wasn't too familiar with). Lars' girlfriend Esmeralda was with him as well, and she happened to be wearing a Sailor Pluto costume.

"Oh, hey, guys," Steven greeted the four people. "Nice Halloween party you've got going on, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," Sadie replied. "Pretty much everyone who lives her showed up. Even my mom is here."

"Awesome," Connie chimed in. "Hey, do you know where the food and drink table is? I'm pretty famished."

"Uh, me too, actually." Steven looked around and noticed the variety of Halloween costumes that were on display. "Wow, so many people are here."

"Yep," Esmeralda said. "I'm surprised by the turn-out, to be honest. I only expected, like, 20 to 30 people to be here, but 90? Guess they were really eager to celebrate Halloween this year."

"I guess so," Lars agreed. "Especially since the pandemic wasn't that long ago. Seven years ago, maybe?"

Steven chuckled. “Yeah, I still can’t believe that was even a thing. Man, all it takes to make civilization come to a screeching halt is a coronavirus, huh?”

Sadie nodded yes. "I mean, humans have gone through worse things before, but yeah. I certainly never expected to live through a pandemic."

Connie shook her head in amazement. “Me neither. Anyway, do you know where the food and drink table is?”

Esmeralda smiled and nodded. “Oh yeah, sure, it’s right over there.” She pointed towards the left top corner of the room. “It’s got everything you might want: guacamole, Cheetos, Doritos, salsa, cookies, Sprite, Coke, Mountain Dew, et cetera, et cetera.”

“Thanks.” Connie grabbed Steven by the hand and led him over to the food and drink table. “C’mon, Steven, let’s go.”

Steven was more than happy to follow her there and hopefully have a good time. In fact, he was more than happy to try to let loose and enjoy himself. He needed it, after all. Ulysses had told him how he needed to try to have fun after everything that had happened. Honestly, Steven missed feeling like a teenager. He missed that feeling of trying to mingle with kids his age and participating in activities typical for his generation. He just missed... being a kid. He’d been weighed down so much by all the terrible things that had happened that somewhere along the way, he forgot that he had an inner child.

And so Steven and Connie decided to dance and talk for a bit at the Halloween party. Meanwhile, Garnet, Amy, Peri, and Greg decided to stay where they were and chat it up themselves.

“Man, I’ve been looking forward to this all year,” Peri said. “I can’t wait to show off how cool my costume is.”

"Me too," Amy rejoined. "I bet all the guys will be thirsting on me when they get a gander at my cosplay."

"You still haven't explained to me what it means to be 'thirsting' someone."

“Oh, right.” Amy cleared her throat. “Thirsting is when you’re horny for someone and you want to flirt with them.”

“Right...” Peri didn’t really care for all that romantic and sexual stuff anyway, so she wasn’t even sure why she asked in the first place. “But what about that girl you’ve been seeing lately? Won’t she get mad that you wanted to flirt with other people?”

“I don’t see why she would be. We haven’t actually made a commitment yet, so what’s it matter?”

“Uh... fair enough?” Peri turned to face Greg. “Greg, do you have anything to comment on that?” She didn’t get an answer right away. “Greg?”

“Oh!” Greg shook his thoughts away. “I was just distracted by something. What did you want to talk about?”

At one point, Steven caught sight of Kevin talking with another guy. It didn’t take long before Steven had an angry glint in his eyes. He still hadn’t forgotten what Kevin had done to his babysitter Stefani a few years ago, but he was here to have fun of Connie and that’s exactly what he was going to do. Steven started dancing along with Connie to the Monster Mash song. The whole time the song played, Steven couldn’t help but remember all the great times he and Connie had had together. They’d been through so much and for that, Steven was grateful.

All of a sudden, Connie was attacked from behind, with Kevin practically tearing her costume off and doing unspeakable things to her. Steven could feel his blood boiling through his veins. Without even so much as a hint of hesitation, Steven rushed over to where Kevin and threw a punch into his nose. As soon as the fist connected with Kevin’s face, the latter started bleeding out from his now-skewered nose.

“Whoa, what the fuck’s your problem, dude?!” Kevin yelled at Steven.

“You raping my girlfriend is my problem, you douche!” Steven yelled back. “Back the fuck off!”

“Whoa, whoa,” Greg suddenly interjected. “Easy with the colorful language, Schtu-ball!”

“Dad, priorities,” Steven replied. “Don’t you even realize what just happened?”

Greg sighed and lowered his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s just get out of here and report this to the police.”

Steven slowly lifted a bloodied and battered Connie from off the ground, and he and the rest of the group sauntered off to the police station.

* * *

Connie’s parents had been asleep when they got the call about the rape. Without even bothering to change into their normal clothes first, Mr. and Dr. Maheswaran rushed down to the hospital, wearing nothing but pajamas and a nightgown.

“Connie?” Dr. Maheswaran cried out for her daughter. “Where are you?”

A doctor led Mr. and Dr. Maheswaran to the room where Connie was being held. They saw their daughter silently laying in bed, her wounds having already been cleaned up. Mr. Maheswaran threw himself at his daughter and hugged her tightly.

“Oh, Connie!” Mr. Maheswaran started to wail. “Oh, my baby! I’m so sorry!”

“I-it’s fine, Dad,” Connie quietly murmured. “It’s not your fault. There's no need to cry…”

Dr. Maheswaran noticed that Steven and his dad were also in the room. Garnet, Amy, and Peri had gone home after accompanying Steven to the police station.

“Steven,” Dr. Maheswaran said gently. “Do you know who did this to her?”

“Yeah, it was Kevin,” Steven immediately replied.

“This wouldn’t happen to be the same Kevin who sexually assaulted Stefani a few years back, would it?”

“Yes, it would.”

All of a sudden, Mr. Maheswaran jerked his head upwards upon hearing what Steven said, and he slammed his fist onto a nearby nightstand. “That son of a bitch! He’s gonna pay for this!”

“Honey, why don’t we leave that to the police?” Dr. Maheswaran asked her husband. “I’m sure he’ll be brought to justice.”

“Bullshit!” Mr. Maheswaran yelled. “He’ll probably only get a slap on the wrist and then move on with his life. Meanwhile, Connie will have to live with what happened to her for the rest of her life. It’ll be the Brock Turner scandal all over again.”

"So what? We're just supposed to accept that Kevin might get away with this?"

Mr. Maheswaran let out a heavy sigh. "Apparently. I mean, isn't that how justice works in this country?" He started walking off to out in the hospital lobby. "I think I'll go and get some water."

Dr. Maheswaran started trailing behind her husband. "I'm coming with you."

Soon, it was just Connie, Steven, and Greg in the room. They were now left to reflect on what an awful night this had become.


	10. Chapter 10

A few weeks after being discharged from the hospital, Connie noticed that her menstrual cycle had been thrown out of whack. She hoped beyond hope that it was because her period was just late and not because she was pregnant. She couldn't be pregnant anyway, right? She was only fifteen. After bringing this up with her parents, they rushed her to the doctor for an emergency visit. There, it was confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. When Connie informed the doctor that she wasn't keen on keeping the baby, she was handed two pamphlets for her trouble; one for adoption and one for abortion. After the visit, Connie called Steven on his iPhone.

After the Halloween party, Steven decided to stay in Beach City for just a little bit longer (long enough that Ulysses and his family would get acquainted with everyone, anyway). He'd been eating out with his grandfather, step-grandmother, aunts, and uncle at Kofi's pizza place when he got the call from Connie.

"Hey, Connie," Steven immediately greeted. "What's up? I haven't heard much from you since the Halloween party. I've been worried about you."

"Steven?" Connie meekly asked. "You have a minute? There's something I need to tell you."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I'm pregnant…"

Steven's jaw dropped to the floor. He wasn't sure what to say. He had to let it sink in first. Connie was pregnant, and it was with her rapist's child. "So what now? What are you going to do?"

"I'm thinking about getting an abortion."

Steven couldn't think of anything to say right away. Normally, he opposed abortion (one of the many things he had in common with his mother), but in extreme circumstances like this one, he had to contemplate it for a moment.

"Uh, okay," Steven finally said after a minute had passed by. "Have you considered putting it up for adoption as well?"

"Yeah," Connie replied. "But I don't know. What if it comes out just like Kevin? Besides, people would talk, and I'd have to live with the fact that my rapist's kid is being raised by people who might resent it just because of how they were conceived."

"Connie, just because Kevin has major issues doesn't mean the baby will, too…" He didn't hear anything right away. "I'm perfectly fine with raising a kid that's not mine. Really. I could give it more love than Kevin ever could."

"That's not the issue, Steven. The issue is that I was violated. If I keep that baby, I'm going to have to live with a reminder of a terrible, terrible thing that happened to me. I'm going to have to live with something that I might end up resenting because of something beyond its control. On top of that, keeping that baby would mean having to drop out of school and living off minimum-wage for God knows how long. Please, Steven, don't make me look at that baby and only be reminded of one of the worst things that can happen to someone…"

After hearing Connie plead with him, Steven couldn't help but agree with what she was saying and decided that she was right. "Alright. After I'm done eating with Ulysses and Penelope, I'll schedule an appointment with the nearest abortion clinic."

"Thank you, Steven."

"It's the least I could do. Alright, talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too."

With that, Connie hung up. Steven was a bit surprised to find Ulysses, Penelope, Circe, Athena, and Keanu staring at him in horror.

"Steven..." Ulysses began to speak. "I heard it all. I'm sorry this happened."

"Me too," Steven replied. “I just... I wish there was something I could do to take the pain away from her.”

“I’m sure her parents feel the same way. Unfortunately, these kind of things don’t just magically go away. The least you could do is support her and try to be there for her no matter what.”

“I know. I’m worried, though, that Connie could be hurting a lot more than she lets on.”

“Well, she could always come to me for guidance.”

“I guess so.”

* * *

After informing Connie's parents that he would be taking her to the abortion clinic nearest to Beach City and getting their written consent, Steven headed off with his girlfriend down to a Planned Parenthood in Wilmington. The whole drive through was silent, mainly because Steven was still trying to come to grips with what had happened within the past few weeks. Upon arriving at the Planned Parenthood, the procedure was performed and over with in just a few minutes. Afterwards, the young couple stopped by Sonic Drive-In and ordered some food. It was such good food, too. Steven had ordered a veggie burger for himself and a chili dog and lemonade for Connie.

"How you feeling, Connie?" Steven asked her gingerly while they ate.

"Still somewhat sore," Connie replied. "Steven, I want to ask you something. Do you hate me for my decision?"

Steven was taken aback. "What? No, I could never hate you, Connie. I love you. Why are you asking?"

"It's just…" Connie took a moment to collect her thoughts. "That whole time we were in the car, both to and from Planned Parenthood, you didn't really say much of anything or even seem to acknowledge me."

Steven immediately felt guilt over unintentionally stonewalling his girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Connie. I guess I'm still just overwhelmed by all this. I shouldn't have made you feel bad. You made the right choice."

"I'm sorry, too, Steven. I should've tried to keep in contact with you after the Halloween party, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I probably worried you to death."

"No, it's alright. You needed time to process what had happened to you. You know, after Ulysses overheard our conversation, he suggested that maybe you could come see him as a patient."

"You know what? That might be a good idea. Even if the pain never really goes away, at least I know I'll have someone to talk to about it."

"That's the spirit. You wanna go home after we finish eating?"

Connie nodded. "Yeah. This has been one hell of a day."


	11. Chapter 11

About a week after Steven took Connie to the Planned Parenthood in Wilmington, Delaware, it came time for Steven and the Scheele family to head home to West Virginia, and it would be right on time for Thanksgiving as well. By now, the Scheele family had all gotten to know the denizens of Beach City and the overall essence of the quaint Delaware town. Steven was hoping to introduce them to his aunts and grandma next, but he wasn’t quite sure how Whitney would react when she found out Steven had met the man who’d donated sperm to make Petunia or that Ulysses even was that man. Likewise, he wasn't sure what his Aunt Goldie or Aunt Maya would make of the sixty-something-year-old man and his wife and kids. After all, Ulysses was only six years older than the Diamond twins were. Maybe the twins would've been offput by that fact alone, and their relationship with him would be awkward.

Steven would have to think about that later. Right now, they were off to visit Ulysses' parents in Morgantown. Ulysses hadn't told Steven much about his parents aside from the fact that his mother was Black and his father was white. Steven also wasn’t sure how Ulysses’ parents would take to having a vegetarian over for Thanksgiving, but his grandfather assured him that they would take to Steven’s diet reasonably well.

Ulysses took the opportunity to knock on the door.

“Who is it?” asked the voice of an elderly woman.

“It’s me, Mom,” Ulysses replied to the voice. “Ulysses. My family and I are here to celebrate Thanksgiving with you and Dad.”

There was a brief pause before the elderly woman’s voice spoke again. “Ah. Well, come on in, baby.”

The door opened up, revealing a short and stout Black woman in her eighties. Her tightly-curled hair was almost completely white. She looked her son and his family up and down before she could let them inside the house.

“Ah, the gang’s all here,” Ulysses’ mother said. “There’s you, Penny, Circe, Athena, Keanu, and...” She stopped when she noticed Steven. “I’m sorry, who the hell is this?”

“Oh, this is my grandson Steven,” Ulysses replied while gesturing to the seventeen-year-old boy beside him.

“Grandson? Since when do you have grandkids?”

“Uh, since I started having Steven as a patient?”

“Do tell.”

Ulysses then proceeded to tell his mother the whole story about how he and Steven found out they were grandfather and grandson while still maintaining a therapist-patient relationship. He even went so far as to tell all about the things he and his wife and kids had done while staying in Beach City.

"What an interesting story. Well, come on in, my tits are going to freeze off if we just keep yapping out here."

They came in through the door, the November chill momentarily shut away behind them. The tree in the backyard still had a few glorious orange leaves that the fall rains hadn't quite blown away. Through the kitchen windows, Steven could just see the tree's last stand.

“So how are you today, son?” Ulysses’ mother asked.

“I’m good,” Ulysses simply replied.

“Good. Are you thankful for anything this year?”

“Well, I’m thankful for you, Dad, my wife, my kids, and especially Steven.”

“Aw, that’s sweet. What about you, Steven? Are you thankful for anything this year?”

Steven was somewhat shocked at first that his great-grandmother asked him on the stop, but he quickly recovered. “Yeah, I’m grateful for my girlfriend, my dad, my mother figures, my cousins, and my friends.”

“Your father?” Ulysses’ mother asked in confusion. “What about your mother?”

“Um, Mom?” Ulysses quickly spoke. “Steven’s mother died when he was born.”

Ulysses’ mother gave a dour expression. “Oh... I didn’t know that.” She suddenly beamed up again when she heard her husband wake up from his nap. “Good, it’s about time you got up, Erich.”

Erich could only mumble something incoherently while coming to his senses. “Wha? Harriet, who’s the boy sitting with you guys? Do we know him?”

“Oh, Erich, I’d like for you to meet our great-grandson Steven,” Harriet answered her husband. “Ulysses just recently found out he existed.”

“A great-grandson, eh? Where did he come from?”

“Probably one of his donor kids.”

“You really think so? Just how much sperm did our son donate...?”

Ulysses quickly interrupted his father. “Yes, he came from one of my donor kids. I did DNA testing with him and it turned out that his mother Petunia was one of my many donor children.”

“Petunia?” Erich asked amusingly. “What a lovely name. She sounds like a wonderful person. Can I meet her sometime?”

Harriet squeezed Erich’s hand. “No, honey. Petunia died around the time she had Steven.”

“Oh.” Erich looked down to the ground, disappointed by what he’d just heard. “That’s a shame. Well, welcome to our family, Steven!”

Steven smiled just a little. "Thanks, guys. So nice to meet you and Great-Grandpa Scheele. Oh man, I have so many questions to ask you, guys!"

Harriet just chuckled. "Steven, take it easy, baby. I have questions to ask you as well, but after we eat, okay?"

"Sure, I can wait."

"Good. Alright, now wait here. I've got food to finish preparing."


	12. Chapter 12

After Harriet had spent some time making the last preparations of her food, it would finally be time for Steven and the rest of the family to start eating. The house was filled with many different wonderful scents. From the herbs over the cooked turkey, the spices in the pumpkin pie, and the new scent of buttery Hawaiian rolls just being taken out of the oven, each was enough to make Circe and Athena’s mouths water. Meanwhile, a football game blared in the living room, with most of Ulysses’ brothers, uncles, cousins, and even a few aunts avidly watching the score.

The apron was frayed and stained with many years of use, but it did its job, keeping Harriet’s navy muumuu decorated with flowers free from oily residue.

With Harriet just now putting everything on the table, it wasn’t long before it was finally time to start eating. The elderly matriarch called out to her husband and other relatives to join them at the dinner table. Once everyone was finally seated, Harriet decided to give them full permission to eat, but not before saying grace first. Steven joined along despite having doubts that there was even a god. He wasn’t about to insult his great-grandparents by not joining in. After everyone had said grace, it was finally time to eat.

Steven only managed to grab some of the food items that didn’t have meat or were pieces of meat. Harriet couldn’t help but look at him curiously when he was doing this.

“Ulysses, why is Steven not getting any turkey?” Harriet asked her son.

“He’s vegetarian, Mom,” Ulysses simply replied.

“Well, that’s no reason to turn down turkey. I spent the better part of the afternoon cooking the damn thing.”

Ulysses just looked at his mother flatly. “Mom. Just let him eat what he wants.”

“Fine.” Harriet then muttered under her breath, “These kids and their gluten-free, anti-GMO diets... I swear to God...”

“Grandma,” Keanu scolded her.

Harriet seemed to lower her eyes in shame. “Sorry, baby. Didn’t mean to insult you.”

* * *

With Thanksgiving dinner over with, Steven decided to join his great-grandfather and the other newfound relatives in the living room. Steven didn’t pay much attention to the football game unfolding on television. Sports were never really his thing anyway. He instead decided to spend part of his time checking his phone to see if he had gotten any text messages from Connie since he left Beach City. His great-grandfather sat beside him and started striking up a conversation.

“So... Steven,” Erich said. “I just want to know how you’ve been lately. Ulysses has told me and Harriet so much about you.”

“Oh yeah, I’m doing fine,” Steven simply replied. “I’m actually doing a lot better now than I was several months ago.”

“So, uh, what exactly happened to you several months ago? From what I heard, you tried to take your own life. Something pretty bad must have happened to you, huh?”

Steven rapidly shook his head. “Oh, no, no. I don’t want to burden you with that kind of stuff.”

Erich just lowered his head. “Oh. That’s fair, I suppose. People have different ways of coping with life. Some of them aren’t as orthodox as others, but it varies on the individual.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Erich cleared his throat nervously. “Of course. You’re a smart kid, Steven. You know that? You have cared far more about how people feel than you have cared for yourself... but I know that was almost your fatal flaw.”

“Yeah, I guess that goes without saying.”

“Of course it does, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t forget that. You have people who love you, people who have gone to the ends of the earth for you, people who have sacrificed their own hopes and dreams just to be there for you. I want you to always remember the people around you who have cared for you and protected you.”

Steven smiled at him. “Thanks. I’ll have to keep that mind.”

* * *

As if in the blink of an eye, the Thanksgiving celebration had wrapped up and everyone started heading out for home. Just as Ulysses and his family were preparing to gather up leftovers to eat over the next several days, Steven hung out with his great-grandparents and told them more about how his life had been going for him.

“Oh, you sweet baby,” Harriet cooed at her great-grandson. “You should consider yourself lucky to have a girlfriend like that.”

“Yeah, she really is awesome,” Steven agreed. “We’ve been through so much. I don’t think I could imagine life without her. We’re jam buddies.”

Erich chuckled. “That’s nice. Be sure to let us know when you plan to propose to her again.”

Steven didn’t quite know what to say to that, especially given that he’d made the first marriage proposal before his suicide attempt. “Actually, I think I’ll hold off on that until she’s in college.”

“Fair enough. You’re both still young. You need time to grow before you can make that big step in life.”

“Yeah, I’m glad you understand.” Steven started getting up from off the couch. “Well, I gotta go now. It was nice meeting you guys.”

Erich practically grinned at his great-grandson. “You too, Steven. You are absolutely remarkable to us and the people around you. I think it’s safe to say that Harriet and I are proud to have you as our great-grandson.”

Steven gave his great-grandfather a warm smile. “Thanks, that means a lot to me.”

“My pleasure. Alright, hopefully, we’ll get to see each other again around Christmas.”

Steven had already made plans to introduce Ulysses and his family to his grandma and aunts, but he decided to quickly say something. “Me too. If we can’t, well, there’s Zoom.”

“You know, I still don’t understand what that is. Is it like a phone service or something?”

“It’s a video conference program. You use it to hold meetings with people you can’t necessarily meet up with.”

“Ah, I guess that makes sense. Will you show me sometime?

It was Ulysses’ turn to speak up. “I could show you, Dad. Alright, Steven, we gotta go. It’s almost nine.”

Erich looked intrigued. “Thanks, son. Alright, everyone. Be safe. Hopefully, I’ll see you all next year.”

Steven, Ulysses, Penelope, Circe, Athena, and Keanu all waved and said their goodbyes to their loved ones while they made their way to the car. As quickly as he could, Ulysses pulled the van he was driving out of the street and onto the road for what was sure to be a long ride home.


	13. Chapter 13

The drive home seemed to last an eternity for Steven, and yet it had given him time to reflect on his first Thanksgiving with his great-grandparents. He never could’ve imagined that Harriet and Erich could be so affable and relatively easy to get along with. Then again, he never could’ve imagined that he’d have a set of great-grandparents that were still alive. That was certainly a pleasant surprise. Still, Steven couldn’t help but think about what the meeting between Ulysses and Whitney would probably be like. He played out a number of scenarios in his head, one of which ended with Ulysses and Whitney becoming sworn enemies. Another scenario had Ulysses and Whitney become awkward acquaintances, and that was the scenario that seemed the most likely to him. Even if he did manage to work in a meeting between the two of them by Christmas, what then? Where could they go from there? He'd have to figure that out later when he actually got around to asking his grandmother.

But first, Steven had to go back with the Scheeles to their house. By this point, he was starting to feel fatigued. He probably shouldn’t have eaten so much food at his great-grandparents’ house, but he didn’t want to be rude or make them think their food was terrible or anything. Still, it was only about 7:30. He couldn’t just turn in yet. He talked with Circe and Athena for a bit.

“So, uh, how are you guys doing now?” Steven asked his aunts.

"Oh, we're just fine," Circe simply replied. "With how the economy is, Athena and I have been staying here until we can improve our credit scores and move out."

"And I just got engaged to Tariq, the love of my life," Athena added. "Oh, he's been on cloud nine ever since I accepted his proposal."

"So what exactly does Tariq do?" Steven asked Athena.

"Oh, Tariq just became a paralegal. It may take a while before he can actually become a full-fledged lawyer."

Steven had no idea what it was like to be a paralegal or even a lawyer. "Oh, that's cool, I guess. I bet it pays well."

"You bet your ass it does. Lawyers tend to get paid thousands of dollars a year. That's the amount of money Tariq will get whenever he moves up to being a lawyer."

"Thousands of dollars? Wow, that's a lot."

"Yeah, no doubt about that."

"So what about Circe and Keanu? What have they been up to lately?"

"Circe?" Athena tried to think back on what exactly it was her sister had told her. "Oh, right, she's been working as a waitress in a diner since April. She's doing alright, I guess, but she feels like she's not getting enough attention from the customers."

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I guess people are sort of ignoring her in favor of the other waitresses. Methinks it might be because she’s Black, but I can’t be sure. For all I know, it could just be because she’s a neophyte.”

“So what can we do to help her?”

Athena shrugged. “I don’t know. Circe, can you think of anything that might help you at the diner?”

Circe just shook her head. “I can’t really think of anything right now sadly. Tammy’s the only friend I’ve made at the diner so far, but she’s thinking about retiring soon, so I don’t know how much longer she’ll be working over there.”

"Mmm..." Athena then remembered that she was supposed to have been talking about what Keanu was up to. "Oh, right, Keanu thinks his girlfriend Nevaeh might be pregnant, but he doesn't want Dad to know until the pregnancy's been confirmed."

Keanu nodded as if to confirm what Athena had just said. "Nevaeh has also been worried about what her folks would think of me."

"Why is she worried?" Steven asked curiously.

"Well, her folks are racist towards anyone who's not white. She thinks her folks will disown her if they find out I'm the baby daddy."

“So what are you going to do when that happens?”

“She’ll probably move in with me and the rest of the family.”

“I’m sorry to hear that about Nevaeh. I hope you guys can get through it.”

Keanu couldn’t help but look up. “I hope so, too. Otherwise... I don’t know if I even want to think about it.”

* * *

Later that night, Steven decided to turn in. Thanksgiving for him this year had been somewhat pleasant, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but sorrowfully think about the Thanksgiving he could’ve had with his dad, girlfriend, and friends instead. He knew that Greg, Connie, Ruby, Sapphire, Garnet, Amy, Belinda, and just about everyone else missed not having him around for this special holiday. At the same time, however, he was glad to meet new people from a totally different side of the family. He'd have to be sure to make up for it whenever he came back to Beach City.

Right now, the important thing for Steven to do was get some sleep. However, there was that aching feeling that he needed to do just one thing before getting some shuteye. He started a FaceTime call with Connie.

"Hey, Connie," Steven greeted tiredly. "What's up?"

"I'm good," Connie replied. "What about you? How was Thanksgiving?"

"It was great. I got to meet my great-grandparents and great-uncles and great-aunts and everything."

"You did? Cool."

"Yeah, tell me about it. My great-grandfather immigrated from Germany in the late '50s or so, and he has so many stories he likes to tell about his childhood and stuff."

"Cool. Your great-grandparents sound like interesting people to get to know."

"They sure are. Anyway, how was your Thanksgiving?"

"It was alright, nothing too special. Mom and Dad and I spent it with all four grandparents this year. I especially liked my nani's cooking."

"What did she make?"

Connie started listing off the things her maternal grandmother had made. "Turkey and chutney, raita, scalloped potatoes, rice pilafs, pumpkin pie, et cetera. She made a lot of food, Steven." She beamed up. "Oh! She also asked about you, Steven. I had to tell her that you couldn't be here because of your mental health. She must've thought we'd broken up or something."

"Aw, your nani must have been so disappointed."

"Yeah. I promised her that you'd be back for the next Thanksgiving, though."

"Thanks..." A brief pause followed. "Did you tell your nani about... you know?"

Connie shook her head. "I'd rather she didn't, to be honest. She'd probably think I did something to deserve it. If she found out what happened to me at the Halloween party, I'd never hear the end of it. She's one of those people."

"Ah, I'm glad you didn't, then."

"Me too." Connie made a brief glance to something just off-screen. "Oh my God, it's almost midnight. I should really get to bed. I've got homework I should be working on over break."

"Oh, oh yeah! You better go! Talk again soon?"

"I'd like that very much. Love you, Steven."

"Love you too, Connie."

The two young lovers gave each other air kisses over the phone. Steven then proceeded to end the FaceTime call so Connie wouldn’t have to and went right to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

With just a week left until Christmas, Steven was already putting together plans for how Ulysses and Whitney would meet up. He'd called the day before and asked his grandmother and aunts to meet up with him somewhere in New York. Now he had to break the news to Ulysses and the family.

At around 10:30 in the morning, while sitting on his motel bed in front of a tiny desk, he began a Zoom meeting with Ulysses and the rest of the Scheele family. He waited until his grandfather had finished with his morning coffee before he asked the question.

"So, uh, Grandpa," Steven began. "Christmas is coming up."

Ulysses just looked at his grandson amusingly. "Yes, yes it is. Why are you calling me Grandpa all of a sudden?"

"Well, I called my grandma and aunts earlier. I... kinda sorta arranged for you and Grandma Diamond to meet."

Ulysses was somewhat flabbergasted. "Um, when exactly did you do this?"

"Oh, I did it yesterday."

"And you didn't tell me until now... why?"

"I wanted to surprise you guys."

"Surprise me? I guess that makes sense. Just one question: how do we even know your Grandma Diamond will like me?"

Steven's eyes trailed down to the ground. "I've been thinking about that myself. I mean, this is the founder of Diamond Bright Records we're talking about here. She places herself on a pedestal way beyond the others, except for her own children. I don't think we have to worry about a romance going on between you two, however."

"And why would that be?"

"Well, she's never shown romantic or sexual interest in anyone."

Ulysses nodded as if to show he understood. "Ah, I see. So that must explain why she had herself artificially inseminated, then."

"Yeah." Steven waited a few seconds before saying something again. "So are you gonna want to meet up with Grandma Diamond?"

"Well, if it really means that much to you, Steven... then sure. I don't see why I shouldn't anyway. I mean, I actually have a chance to meet up with the woman who used my sperm to have your mother."

"Great. Guess I'll talk to you later, huh?"

"You know it. Alright, I need to go. I have to help Nevaeh unpack her stuff."

"Alright, bye."

Just like that, Steven ended the Zoom meeting. At least he'd gotten the meetings with both of his grandparents over with. Now came the difficult part: waiting for the day for them to actually meet. Thinking about the future like this tended to make him somewhat anxious, especially if the future wasn't certain for him. He tried to take his mind off of it by making himself some breakfast on the portable stove. His breakfast of the day happened to be a vegetarian burrito made with the finest tortilla and greens he could pick up at the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market near the motel. He ate it up in just a few bites and then hung out with Alexandra for several minutes.

"Hey, Steven," Alexandra said at one point.

"Yeah, Alexandra?" Steven asked.

"How's your therapy going?"

"Pretty good, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"I could hear you talking with who I guess is your therapist. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, Alexandra."

"Oh." Alexandra waited a few seconds before speaking again. "Your therapist seems nice."

"Yeah, he is. He's also my grandpa, did you know that?"

Alexandra let out an audible, albeit somewhat quiet, gasp. "That's so cool, Steven. You must be very proud of your grandpa."

"I am, Alexandra. I'm proud of him for all the things he can accomplish and for trying his best to help others. I'm sure anybody would love to have him as a grandpa."

"Well, I sure would. Did you tell him about my plants?"

"Uh..." Steven suddenly felt a ping of guilt. "Nah, sorry. I might tell him some other time. Your plants seem rather nice."

"Thanks, Steven. I take great pride in my plants. Did I ever tell you I'm going to college for my degree in Botany?"

"Oh... no, I don't think you have."

"Yeah, I gotta say. This stuff's not as easy as I thought it would be."

"Have things been different for you since you started college?"

Alexandra looked down while she gave her answer. "A little. I have to move over here from Beach City since the motel is in close proximity to the college."

"Ah, I see. What are your classes like? How do you spend time between classes?"

"Well, I have to take some basic college courses in math and science and stuff. I have about an hour or so between each class, so I'll usually take a food break before the next class."

"Do you go to the cafeteria to take your food breaks or does it matter?"

"Uh, usually, I go to the cafeteria, but I might stop by at a restaurant and pick up food there."

"Ah, okay. It's just good that you're pursuing a degree for yourself."

They talked like this for close to two hours. Steven never let on the whole time that he'd been growing increasingly impatient with their conversation. Finally, Alexandra had announced that it was time for her to head off to her first class of the day. She and Steven exchanged goodbyes and then went their separate ways. With Alexandra gone, Steven now had an opportunity to head out for lunch, being famished and all.

* * *

After wrapping up lunch at an Ali Baba Restaurant, Steven decided to do some sight-seeing around town. He figured that it would do him some good after everything that happened this year. He strolled around town, making sure to get a good look at some monuments and landmarks. The Don Knotts statue especially caught Steven’s attention. It was enough to bring back memories of when Steven would see him play Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show.” That wave of nostalgia lingered on long after he moved on to something else. Had life always been so hard for Steven or did it only get harder for him as he got older? He tended to ask that question at least once a month or so. Things may have been going great for him now, but he had to wonder if it would last just a little while.

Eventually, he stopped by at the diner where Circe had started working as a waitress. While inside, he thought to look around and perhaps order some food from there. He always wanted to help out a local business, especially if his aunt was working there. That checkerboard flooring... those polished mid-century countertops... it was like he was displaced in another place, in another time. He could remember when his father would take him out to these diners as a kid. That was before he had become fully aware of his eating habits and converted to vegetarianism for the sake of the animals. But that was then, and this was now.

"Hey, guys!" Steven greeted the working staff.

The waiters and cashiers turned to look at him. Only Circe recognized him.

"Hey, Steven!" Circe greeted back. "What are you doing here?"

Steven smiled and just shrugged. "Just thought I'd see how you were holding up. How's work so far?"

"Eh, okay." She hesitated to say anything further. "I haven't had many tables to work with today... just like usual."

"Aw, I'm sure it'll get better later. What about Tammy? You said she was planning to retire soon, right? How's she been?"

"Fine, I guess?" It took a few seconds for her to say something again. "She's been having problems with her marriage lately. It seems like the spark just died overnight and she's trying hard to rekindle it, but can't."

"Huh, I'm sorry to hear that. Why don't you try talking to her about it later?"

"Sure. Just not sure how exactly I could help when I've never been married... or in a relationship with a guy."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. Mind if I hang out for a bit while you work?"

"I don't see why not, but you'll have to order food at some point."

"Sounds good."


	15. Chapter 15

Christmas had finally come. This was it. This was the day that Ulysses and Whitney were supposed to meet up. He still wasn’t sure how it would go down or if either of his grandparents would try to back out at the last second. Regardless, he hoped to have a decent Christmas at the very least. He wanted so badly to spend some time with his surrogate mothers, his girlfriend, his friends, and his father again. He missed them. He missed spending the holidays with them, spending all those moments decorating the tree or helping out in the kitchen. He'd spent this year's Halloween with them, sure, but it'd ended on a pretty awful note.

Anyway, the Christmas celebrations with his loved ones would have to wait... because Steven and the Scheele family were off to New York so Ulysses and Whitney could finally meet in person. Steven hoped that his loved ones would also somehow make it to New York to celebrate with him, but he didn't want to get his hopes up too high. After all, it would usually take his loved ones thirty-eight minutes to fly over to New York from Delaware, but flight delays could make the flight over longer (and that was assuming that the flight wasn't even cancelled). For now, he'd have to focus on spending Christmas with his grandparents.

Steven and his grandparents had decided to take two cars for the trip. He knew that it would take a long while before they would make it to their destination because a drive from West Virginia to New York took seven and a half hours (or seven hours and thirty-six minutes, to be exact). It was such a long drive (even longer than when Steven had first driven to West Virgina from Delaware for six hours and twenty minutes), but it was totally worth it.

"Alright, we're finally in New York," Ulysses announced once he and Steven had both gotten out of their respective cars. "Now where do we go?"

Steven gave Ulysses the exact directions for reaching Whitney's house.

"Ah, I see." Ulysses had to think it over for a second. "Well, how should we do this? Should I follow you or do you want to do it the other way around?"

“Well, I guess you could follow me if you wanted,” Steven replied. “I’m a bit more familiar with this place than you guys are.”

“Alright, then that’s what I’ll have to do.”

"Awesome." Steven got back into his car. "Alright, just follow my directions and everything will be alright."

* * *

By the time Steven and the Scheele family had made it to Whitney's gigantic quasi-mansion, it was already 4 PM. Surely, Whitney wouldn’t have decided to back out after waiting a while for her guests to arrive. Steven was the first one to go up to the door. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently. It felt like an eternity had passed by when Whitney finally opened the door and saw Steven right in front of her.

"Ah, Steven," Whitney said upon seeing her grandson's face. "It's so good to see you. So where's your long-lost grandfather you told me about?"

"Oh, he's right behind me," Steven replied while pointing to Ulysses and his family as they ascended the steps.

Whitney craned her neck to get a good look at Ulysses. "So this is him, huh?"

"Yep." Steven turned to face his grandfather. "Hey, Ulysses. This is my grandma I was telling you about... you know, Whitney Diamond?"

Ulysses briefly stopped right behind Steven. "Wait a minute... this is Whitney Diamond?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I guess I expected her to look... different."

Steven instantly caught on to what Ulysses had meant. "Oh, right, I should've told you. She went through early menopause when she was sixteen, so she didn't have her own eggs to use when she had kids. She had to use different eggs to have kids instead, except with Aunt Goldie and Aunt Maya. She adopted them when they were embryos and carried them to term. Apparently, Aunt Goldie and Aunt Maya's original family decided to donate their embryos for other families to use, and Whitney just happened to be one of those people to use them."

Ulysses tried to wrap his head around this new bit of information. "So let me get this straight... Whitney went through menopause when she was only sixteen years old and so had to use other people’s eggs to have her own children...”

“Uh huh.”

“...so none of her children, including Petunia, are actually related to her by blood...”

“Uh huh.”

“...but they’re not related to each other by blood, either; but she still gave birth to them. So not only was I responsible in actually making Petunia...”

“Uh huh.”

“...but someone else was as well?”

“Yep, that’s about the size of it.”

"Okay." Ulysses now fixated himself on Whitney. "Whitney, is this all true?"

Whitney slightly nodded her head. "I'm afraid so. Granted, while I may not be genetically related to my own children or the children to each other, we're a family all the same."

"Well, I'm glad you think so," Ulysses said. "But I can't imagine it was easy for other people to understand."

"It wasn't. You have to understand, I was raising the twins during a different time. I couldn't bear to tell them some people were just monsters."

"I see. What about the other two children you had?"

"John and Petunia, you mean? The ones no longer with us?"

"Yes."

"It was slightly different when raising them. John was only three years younger than the twins, so it wasn't as bad. By the time Petunia was born, people were assuming I either merely adopted them or had Black ancestry in somewhere."

"Did you ever correct them at all?"

"I didn't see any reason why I should."

Ulysses wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "I see... well, can we come in now? I'm anxious to meet the twins and see what they're like."

"Of course, Ulysses." Whitney gestured him and the rest of his family inside. "I wouldn't want to be totally impolite."


	16. Chapter 16

After Whitney had let Steven, Ulysses, and the rest of the Scheele family inside, she decided to introduce the Scheeles to Goldie and Maya almost immediately.

"Ulysses," Whitney began while gesturing the rest of her guests towards her two surviving children. "Ulysses' wife and children, that other girl, I'd like for you all to meet my lovely twins. Their names are Golda Ariadne and Maya Dorothea Diamond."

Goldie and Maya waved and gave a polite hello and then went off to resume whatever they were doing before

"Uh, Grandma Diamond?" Steven asked right after.

"Yes, Steven?" Whitney asked back.

"They do have names, you know. It's pretty rude to not just use them."

"Not sorry, Steven. I don't see why I need to use them."

Steven pursed his lips at his grandmother. "Grandma, please. If not for them, at least do it for me."

Whitney reluctantly sighed. "Fine. So now that you know Goldie and Maya's names, I'd like to know what your names are."

Ulysses just cleared his throat. "Well, you already know my name is Ulysses. So... my wife's name is Penelope, our daughters are named Circe and Athena, our son's name is Keanu, and his girlfriend's name is Nevaeh."

"Those... are some interesting names."

"Thanks."

"Right. So why exactly did Nevaeh have to come with you?"

Ulysses explained everything Whitney needed to know about Nevaeh's situation. As much as Whitney didn't want to care about the woman's plight, she couldn’t help but think back to when Spinel had told her about her own tragic life story. Despite her efforts, Whitney nevertheless took pity on Nevaeh.

Whitney let out a dramatic sigh. “I don’t think I could even begin to imagine how Nevaeh must be feeling after everything her parents put her through.”

“Yes, you must admit that you feel sorry for her a little bit,” Ulysses couldn’t help but agree. "Just when you think your parents have your best interests in hand, suddenly they try to ruin you just because of who you are or who you love."

"Sounds just like what happened to my birth mother."

"Huh?"

Whitney's eyes widened slightly in shock. "Oh, Steven never told you I was adopted?"

"No? Was there some reason I needed to know?"

"Not particularly, no." Whitney dramatically sighed for a second time. "I'd love to give you the full story, but I want to feed you all as soon as possible, so I'll give you the short version. When my birth mother was only twelve years old, she was starting to realize that she was gay. Being that this was the 1930s and in a somewhat rural area, her parents weren't thrilled. Her daddy, in particular, was furious when he found out that she wasn't interested in boys. So one night, my mother's daddy paid his brother some good money to try to 'fix' her of that 'sinful lifestyle.' My mother's uncle took the money and did just that. It didn't work, but that's how I came to be."

Ulysses could only look at her with all color drained from his face, which was stuck in a look of horror. "Um... wow. That... is a lot to unpack. I'm really sorry that you had to come about through some... awful circumstances."

The rest of the Scheeles, plus Nevaeh and Steven, had the same looks of horror on their faces. Steven wasn't quite sure how to react to hearing this from his grandmother. Sure, he'd had his own issues going on, but that story Whitney gave on how she'd been conceived... that took the cake.

"Damn," Nevaeh said for the first time since she came here. "And I thought my life up to this point had been rough."

Whitney gave a cheerful smile despite all the reactions she'd gotten from her guests. "Well, enough about me. I'll have my staff prepare a fabulous Christmas dinner for you all."

* * *

For Christmas dinner, Whitney's chefs and sous-chefs had prepared a meal that highly reflected of her adoptive parents' heritages. For Christmas dinner, Whitney's chefs and sous-chefs prepared: Christopsomo bread, egg-lemon chicken-rice soup (or avgolemono, as it tended to be called), Kasha varnishkes, selyodka pod shuba, potato knishes, Kalitsounia Kritis cheese pastries; and Kourabiethes cookies and Karythopita walnut spice cake for dessert.

"Wow," Ulysses couldn't help but breathe while looking over all that food. "This sure is amazing."

"But of course," Whitney said. "These are all the traditional meals my parents would eat during Christmas time. My adoptive father was Greek and my adoptive mother was a Russian Jewish woman, you see."

"Of course. Did you ever celebrate Hanukkah at all while you were growing up?"

Whitney just nodded her head. “In fact, I got to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas. Neither of my parents were willing to convert for each other, so my siblings and I grew up in a Greek Orthodox Christian-Jewish house.”

"Awesome," Keanu piped up. "What was that like?"

And so Whitney saw it fit to explain what growing up in an interfaith household had been like for her while she and her guests ate. She also got into what kind of traditions they held over the years, some of which she would eventually pass down to her children. Speaking of, Goldie and Maya both decided to join their mother at the dinner table after they’d finished up on their respective projects.

"Oh, hello, starlights," Maya greeted her daughters as they were sitting down. "Did you finally finish up on your projects?"

"Of course, Mother," Goldie replied with a smile. "I just helped Gustavo and Rogelio put the finishing touches on a new song."

"That sounds great. What kind of song?"

Goldie went into great detail about what kind of song she, Gustavo, and Rogelio had been working on throughout the month. Steven didn't care too much about the kind of work his grandmother and aunts did, and this was especially true tonight. He was just happy to spend some time with loved ones and eat some food that Whitney had had her chefs make for this occasion (only the kind that was vegetarian-friendly, though). He especially appreciated all the effort his grandmother's chefs put into the food, all that effort into making sure they stayed authentic to their roots and could satisfy everyone's palates. In fact, he was enjoying the food so much that he almost forgot all about missing the ones back home in Beach City. This was shaping up to be a good Christmas, after all.


	17. Chapter 17

After the Christmas dinner had been wrapped up, it was time for Whitney and the twins to hand their guests their presents. The three Diamond women brought out large shopping bags and wrapped boxes from the living room closet and set them down on the floor.

"I hope you appreciate the efforts my girls and I went to get your Christmas presents," Whitney said. "We had to do two weeks' worth of shopping, plus ordering some unique items from other countries to be sent to the house so you could have them."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Ulysses remarked.

"It is," Maya joined in. "We had to go through so many people to get these items. The crowds may not have been too bad like they were on Black Friday, but you seriously can't believe how far people will go to get their hands on Christmas presents these days."

"The audacity of some people..." Goldie rejoined. "Once, I saw some people trample over a child just to get their hands on the latest 50'' TV. You should've been there. Actually, scratch that, I'm glad you weren't there to witness it."

Ulysses just chuckled. "We've all been there, right, guys?"

Penelope, Circe, Athena, Keanu, and Nevaeh all immediately spoke up in agreement.

"Can't say I relate," Steven said. "Dad and I don't usually shop on Black Friday. We prefer to just stay at home."

"Well, of course you would," Whitney chimed in. "But I was talking about Christmas shopping."

Steven just laughed awkwardly. "Right. Usually, whenever my family and I went Christmas shopping, we preferred to do it early. This year, though..." He looked down, forlorn. "I haven't been in much of a mood to shop for all my loved ones. The most shopping I did was for Grandpa and his family."

Ulysses laid his hand on Steven's back. "Steven, you already did so much with us this year. You didn't need to go shopping for us."

Steven gave a sad, soft smile.

Whitney quickly signaled Goldie and Maya to join her in another room and thus left without saying much else. With the three Diamond women out of the room, Steven and the rest of the guests proceeded to open their presents.

* * *

After everyone had opened their presents, it was time for the Diamond family and the guests to sit down and watch the Christmas specials on TV. First up on things to watch was "It's A Wonderful Life." Throughout the movie's runtime, the ten people sat and watched as the movie went through George Bailey's life story and progressed to the point where he would meet his guardian angel at the lowest point of his life. 

Steven couldn't help but identify with George Bailey most of the time. Steven knew he had everything he could've ever wanted with a nice family, a nice group of friends, and a nice support group, but there was always something looming over him... something that could upend everything great that had happened in his life. For George Bailey, it was the old miser banker Henry Potter. For Steven... well, it'd been a lot of things, really. Mostly, though, it was Steven's mental health that loomed over him. His poor mental health just hadn't been what it was... at least not until he sought out Ulysses.

He was so grateful for that man. Looking back, Ulysses had helped him get through a lot of the trauma that still plagued him. Ulysses had helped him and Connie deal with the emotional fallout of her abortion, especially when it came to unpacking a lot of trauma that had come with the rape. Steven knew now that he and Connie needed each other more than ever, not just as friends... but as lovers.

After "It's A Wonderful Life" had wrapped up its final act, "A Christmas Story" immediately aired in its place.

"Damn, that was such a good movie," Keanu murmured. "Talk about deep, man."

"I know," Nevaeh couldn't help but agree. "I can't even believe that such a simple Christmas movie like that could make me think about my own place in the world." She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

Keanu looked over to his girlfriend. "You okay, babe?"

Nevaeh just sniffled. "Yeah, just a little emotional, that's all."

Her boyfriend looped his arm around her shoulders and scooted close enough to kiss her temple. "Ah, okay. It's gonna be alright."

Steven couldn't help but imagine what Keanu and Nevaeh's child would be like. Would they try to fit in with other children or would they try to carve out a niche for themself and anyone they considered a friend? Would they follow their parents' example or find guidance in other adults? It was impossible to know for sure, but Steven hoped beyond hope that his unborn cousin would turn out like him and try to be the best version of themself possible.

Just when it seemed like he was finally starting to focus on watching "A Christmas Story" and get sucked into its own little world, from about a mile away, he could hear a knock at the living room door.

"Hey, could you guys excuse me for a sec?" Steven politely asked. "I need to see who it is."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Circe replied. "We'll just tell you what happened when you get back."

"Okay."

"Besides, you ain't missing much."

Steven couldn't help but chuckle slightly. He calmly walked over to the living room door, opened it up, and was surprised to find...


	18. Chapter 18

"Guys?" Steven asked in confusion when he finally opened the door.

To his surprise, his girlfriend, his dad, and the rest of his loved ones were all there. He couldn't quite believe it. They were all standing there, right in front of him. Pearl, Amy, Garnet, Ruby, Sapphire, Belinda, Alexandra, Peri, Nyoko, Jasper... they were all right there.

"Oh my God!" Steven exclaimed, still in shock. "Guys, what are you doing here?"

"Well..." Pearl began. "Spinel asked us to come down here and see you."

"Wait..." Steven still couldn't believe this was even happening. "Does Grandma Diamond know about this? Do Aunt Goldie and Aunt Maya know?"

Pearl laughed joyously. "Of course they do! Garnet even said that your grandma gave Spinel the okay to invite us here."

Steven just laughed back, then called Ulysses and the rest of the Scheeles over to see the gang back together. Nevaeh trailed right behind her boyfriend and his family to get a good look at the rest of Steven's family.

"Yo, who's the blondie with glasses?" Amy asked while pointing to Nevaeh.

Steven looked back and smiled. "Oh, that's Keanu's girlfriend Nevaeh. Did I tell you about her?"

Amy quickly shook her head.

Steven nervously gave a chuckle. "Sorry, guess I should have. She's been staying with Grandpa Ulysses and his family ever since her folks kicked her out."

"Why did her parents kick her out?" Pearl asked in confusion.

"It's a long story," Steven replied. "Let's just say that her parents didn't approve of her relationship with Keanu and leave it at that."

"That's... awful. Anyway, merry Christmas, Steven. I hope we didn't keep you waiting."

"You kidding me? I didn't even know you guys were coming. Thanks, guys. I appreciate you guys coming here."

"You're welcome, Steven. Hey, you wouldn't happen to be watching 'A Christmas Story,' would you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Mind if we join you?"

Steven looked back at the Scheeles uncertainly. They all nodded their heads in unison. Once he understood, Steven nodded back and then focused his attention back on Pearl. "Not at all."

* * *

After watching through as many Christmas movies as Steven and his family could muster, they all decided to catch each other up on everything that had happened. Steven joined in among all the chatter, eager to take in as much social interaction as possible. It didn’t particularly matter now whether he’d had any prior experience with proms or homecomings or any other social events. He was just glad to sit and contribute whenever he could. Being homeschooled up until high school wasn’t something he'd readily admit to, but if anyone asked him about it, he didn't see any reason to lie about it. In fact, being homeschooled was probably one of the most defining moments of his life. Sure, he didn’t get to interact with most kids his age, but he managed to foster some familial bonds with women who’d known his mother (and two of which were actually related to her and, by extension, him). It didn’t matter that he was only related to Sapphire and Garnet, but they’d always been his family.

The Scheeles were just another family that Steven happened to welcome into his heart. Ulysses was only supposed to have been a therapist to him and a regular therapist at that, but their relationship evolved into something much more poignant and sentimental. For that, Steven would always be grateful.

"Hey, Steven," Ruby suddenly spoke up.

"Yeah, Ruby?" Steven asked.

"How's Mr. Scheele been treating you?"

"Great." Steven's smile turned blissful. "I'm really glad I met him. He's done a lot more good for my mental health than bad."

"Any problems you've had with him?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"That's good," Sapphire suddenly spoke up. "You needed it badly."

"Yeah..." Steven wasn't sure what else to say until he remembered Ruby and Sapphire's soon-to-be-born grandchild. "So how are you and Ruby feeling about becoming grandmas?"

"Ecstatic. I, for one, am looking forward to the day Garnet will bring the baby home and show the world what kind of mom she'll be."

"Yeah," Ruby couldn't help but agree. "Garnet's gonna be a super mom!"

Garnet tried to play it smooth. "Well, I don't know for sure about that. Still, at least I won't be alone. My child will have all the role models they could ever want in their life. It doesn't matter what might be going on in their life. They can turn to anyone they want, and they'll have all the resources at hand to help them on their journey."

Now it was Steven's turn to chime in. "Gee, Garnet, it sounds like you're already a super mom to me."

Garnet gave her cousin a soft smile. "Only the best moms in the world could have helped me become me. It only makes sense that I'll try to do the same for my child."

"Someday, I hope Connie and I will be great parents just like yours are, Garnet."

"Don't worry... you will."

Steven nodded, knowing fully well that Garnet was right. He then decided to talk some more with Connie. Despite everything that had happened this year, this Christmas had been the best Christmas Steven could have ever asked for. No more internal and external dramas would plague him in the immediate future, and he hoped to keep it that way... as long as Ulysses was there to keep him in check anyway.


End file.
